Numerous types of vehicle shields have been developed to protect a vehicle from contact with road debris, bugs, and to deflect airflow away from windshields. These devices are also commonly referred to as bug shields or airflow deflectors. Such devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,013 to Eke, U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,095 to Lund et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,483 to Lund, U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,156 to Lund et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,446 to Espinose et al. All of the above patents are assigned to Lund Industries, Incorporated, the assignee of this patent application.
Changes in the design and manufacturing of vehicle hoods have raised new issues with respect to the construction of vehicle shields. As compared to older model vehicles, the hoods on later model vehicles are generally thinner and lighter. Attaching standard hood shields to later model vehicles can cause the hoods on the later model vehicles to flutter excessively at high speeds. Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a hood shield that does not cause an unacceptable amount of hood flutter when the vehicle is driven at a high rate of speed.